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UPDATE: Students building pyre for tonight's scheduled bonfire

Posted November 24, 2013; 11:25 a.m.

by the Office of Communications

Princeton students are building a pyre for the bonfire scheduled at 7 p.m. Sunday. However, because of high winds, a decision on lighting the fire to celebrate the football team's victories over Harvard and Yale will be made around 5 p.m.

Strong winds gusting to 40 mph were buffeting the Princeton area during the day. University officials are consulting with the town of Princeton fire marshal and monitoring forecasting services. If the winds remain high, the bonfire would be postponed 24 hours until 7 p.m. Monday, weather permitting. The University homepage and social media channels will be updated once the decision is made.

This is the second year in a row Princeton has swept Harvard and Yale in football in a season, leading to the bonfire, a campus tradition that dates to the late 1800s.

Bonfire festivities will be webcast live on the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students website. The Undergraduate Student Government and the four undergraduate class governments are sponsoring the event.

The football team was defeated 28-24 in its final game Saturday at Dartmouth. The Tigers compiled an 8-2 record and share the Ivy League title with Harvard.

Photos and videos from selected bonfires since 1897 are available online through University Archives at the Mudd Manuscript Library.